The David Dana Forest is mostly a spruce-fir forest managed for timber products. Several fields are mowed annually to maintain them as grassy openings for habitat. The Gold Mine is an excavated cliff face now filled with water and rock from the cliff above. From historical records the mine is described as descending over 100 feet following a fracture in the underlying gold bearing rock. A very limited amount of commercial gold was removed from the site before it was determined to be uneconomical and closed.
Fishing Guide
At the Dana Forest, you’ll find a 2 ½ mile walk through a spruce and fir forest to the site of a former gold mine. You’ll also find access to the Johns River and a chance to see if you can catch a trout. Access to the river is via an old railroad bed. The railroad bed runs to the north off of the town roadway just east of the spot on Ridge Road where one gets to the Dana Forest entrance marked by a Forest Society sign. (Parking is allowed on the side of Ridge Road, but it is not allowed on Lower Ox Team Road, which is private.) Follow the railroad bed to a snowmobile bridge over Johns River, where Forest Society property begins and runs downstream.
Help us care for this property by following these guidelines during your visit:
- This property is open dawn to dusk
- Carry out all trash
- Dogs must remain under control and owners must pack out all dog waste
- No motorized wheeled vehicles
- No camping
- No Campfires
- Hunting and fishing are allowed
- Leave natural and cultural features undisturbed
